The Government has moved to support a more restrictive set of EU guidelines on the conduct of embryonic stem-cell research, write Arthur Beesley and Denis Staunton.
The development follows days of pressure from within Fianna Fáil on the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, on the controversial issue.
Government sources said last night that the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, was now supporting a fresh Portuguese proposal which narrows the scope of the current framework, following the postponement by EU industry ministers yesterday of a vote on the guidelines.
The Portuguese proposal would confine research to stem-lines already drawn from embryos and in storage before November 26th. The withdrawal of stem-lines destroys an embryo.
If the Commission accepts the amendment and if EU ministers support it, no more embryos would be destroyed.
But it is understood that the Government would continue to support the original guidelines if the European Commission decided against adopting the amendment proposed by Portugal.
However, those most opposed to the proposal in Fianna Fáil still maintained last night that they want the Government to block any move to sanction embryonic stem-cell research.
Senator John Hanafin said: "My view hasn't changed. I'm against restricted or unrestricted embryo research."
The original European Commission proposal, supported by the Government, was broader as it allowed researchers to draw stem-lines from embryos created before June last year. Sources acknowledged that it had been open to the Government to propose alternative proposals.
However, the Government did not do this because it had decided to support the Commission's original proposal.
With EU ministers to return to the debate next week, Ms Harney predicted the EU ministers would agree to the more restrictive guidelines.
"I got the impression there is a huge desire to reach agreement. I would be very optimistic there will be agreement next week," the Tánaiste said.
The new proposal is likely to win the support of Germany, one of the countries opposing the Commission's proposal.
Although Germany does not allow human embryos to be destroyed for research, it allows research on stem cells imported and created before January 1st, 2002.
Italy, Portugal, Luxembourg and Austria are the other member-states opposed to the Commission's proposal. Austria has indicated that it will oppose any proposal to allow EU funds to be used for embryonic stem-cell research.
The developments in Brussels yesterday followed confirmation by Mr Ahern that the then Minister of State for science and technology, Mr Noel Treacy, had Government support when he endorsed the EU research programme in December 2001.
A Fianna Fáil backbencher, Mr Batt O'Keeffe, had claimed Mr Ahern told the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party that Ms Harney acted unilaterally in endorsing the programme.
It is understood that a senior Fianna Fáil figure told Mr O'Keeffe yesterday to desist from commenting on the issue.
Although Mr O'Keeffe is understood to be sticking to his account, some TDs expressed reservations about his claims. "I think that most people think that Batt went too far," said one.
Earlier, the president of the European Parliament, Mr Pat Cox, withdrew comments he made to RTÉ News to the effect that a move by the EU Council of Ministers to block the current guidelines would prevent such research taking place.